Origin of Troll Face

ape Rodent (often stylized as “raperodent” in some discussions) is considered the original troll meme and predecessor to the iconic Trollface. It was created in 2008 by artist Carlos Ramirez (known online as Whynne) as an early attempt to capture a mischievous, trolling expression, inspired by the 1930s cartoon character Mighty Mouse but redrawn with a creepy, smirking face. Ramirez later imitated this design when creating Trollface (also in 2008), which became wildly popular while Rape Rodent remained a relatively obscure and “failed” meme. Sources describe Rape Rodent as the “father” or “prototype” of Trollface, laying the foundation for the troll meme genre.